411’s Wrestler of the Week 11.13.12: Year Eight, Week 32

Welcome to WEEK 32, YEAR EIGHT of 411’s Wrestler of the Week. A quick overview of the rules to kick things off for us as a reminder…

Each writer chooses FIVE wrestlers from any promotion and each wrestler gets a point total attached to that ranking. It looks a little like this…

1st – 5
2nd – 4
3rd – 3
4th – 2
5th – 1

Then we tally up the votes and the official 411 Wrestler of the Week is crowned. But wait, there’s more! Each week the top SIX vote getters get a points value for their ranking which looks something like this…

1st – 15
2nd – 12
3rd – 9
4th – 6
5th – 3
6th – 1

…and they go towards the 411 Wrestler of the Year award to be announced each year around WrestleMania. This will be posted every Monday (the voting week runs Monday through Sunday). Let’s see who wins this week…

Larry Csonka
1) Jeff Hardy
While I will not sit here and tell you that I was the biggest fan of the Jeff hardy title win, I will say that he is stepping up big on PPV, and did so again here at Turning Point. Jeff Hardy retained the TNA World Title in a crazy, wild, excellent and yes, dangerous ladder match at the Turning Point PPV. Hardy has dialed up his game, and if he keeps performing like this, I will be fine seeing him in PPV main events.

2) The Time Splitters (Alex Shelley & KUSHIDA): Following their big tournament last week, The Time Splitters (Alex Shelley & KUSHIDA) cashed in their title shot so to speak at the latest NJPW iPPV event, and they defeated Alex Kozlov & Rocky Romero to become the NEW IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions. That’s two great back-to-back weeks.
3) Hiroshi Tanahashi: Hiroshi Tanahashi is still your IWPG Champion, and one of the very best wrestlers on the planet.
4) Kazuchika Okada
5) Prince Devitt

Francisco Ramirez
1) Polvora
A win over one of CMLL’s top faces like Mascara Dorada is a big win, but defeating him and becoming the new CMLL World Welterweight Champion is even bigger. Polvora accomplished this, and solidified the biggest win of his career thus far. Rebounding him from his loss of the Mexican National Welterweight Championship in September.

2) The Time Splitters: Alex Shelley & KUSHIDA: The New IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions.
3) James Storm: Went over AJ Styles and Bobby Roode to become the number 1 contender for the TNA World title.
4) TIE: Jeff Hardy/Samoa Joe
5) RVD

Ryan Byers
1) Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada (tie)
On this weekend’s New Japan Pro Wrestling event, Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Yujiro Takahashi in the main event to retain his IWGP Heavyweight Title, while, lower on the card, Kazuchika Okada defeated Hirooki Goto to retain his number one contendership to that title. This means that the two wrestlers are now a lock to face each other for the championship at the company’s January 4 show. This is essentially the Japanese equivalent of two wrestlers locking in main event slots at Wrestlemania or, in other words, a pretty damn big deal.

2) The Ryback: The Ryback scored the single biggest pinfall of his career this week, getting the three count over WWE Champion CM Punk clean in the middle of the ring in the main event of Monday Night Raw.
3) The Time Splitters (Alex Shelley & KUSHIDA): Both of these men now hold gold in New Japan Pro Wrestling for the first time, as they won the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Titles over the weekend.
4) Polvora
5) Prince Devitt

TJ Hawke
1) Hiroshi Tanahashi
Successfully defended his IWGP Heavyweight Championship in the main event of the NJPW PPV, which guarantees his next defense will be in the main event of the 2013 Dome Show.

2) Kazuchika Okada: With his win over Hirooki Goto, Okada has guaranteed that he will challenge Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight belt at the very same Dome show.
3) Alex Shelley & KUSHIDA: They won the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Championships from Alex Koslov and Rocky Romero.
4) Jeff Hardy
5) Prince Devitt

James Wright
1) Jeff Hardy
As much as I don’t agree with it, Jeff Hardy is still the TNA champion, retaining in one hell of a ladder match. While it means we have at least another months of painful inner monologues and that horrible belt he insists on carrying around with him, at least he managed to put on a good show as champion.

2) James Storm: Speaking of the TNA title the man who is now guaranteed to challenge him next is the cowboy James Storm. I honestly have little interest in seeing this match but it is hard to argue that Storm doesn’t deserve another shot at the title, although it could have come when he had more momentum of course.
3) Samoa Joe: The reigning TV champion represented the before now meaningless division well at Turning Point. He beat his rival Magnus in a No-Holds Barred match. If the Samoan Submission Machine keeps his momentum up TNA might finally have a mid-card title that we can all take seriously.
4) RVD
5) The Time Splitters

Greg DeMarco
1) Austin Aries
I still maintain that Austin Aries is the best wrestler in the world today. seriously, who is better? He’s a better in-ring performer than CM Punk, an equal to Daniel Bryan, and his mic skills are almost to Punk’s level (who is the best talker in wrestling). Last night’s TNA Turning Point main event was amazing, all thanks to Austin Aries. He managed that match—especially the ring positioning for both men—and made Jeff Hardy look like a million bucks. That’s why Aries, after losing the world title, remains in the main event scene for TNA.

2) Magnus: How is a guy who loses the opening match of a PPV sitting at #2? Because he delivered a break out performance in the match. His throwing a chair at Joe before his Heat Seeking Missile dive, and his begging Joe for more after kicking out of the Muscle Buster made Magnus the bad ass I know him to be. You’re looking at the future of TNA, people.
3) The Ryback: Ryback pinned CM Punk in the center of the ring, the biggest pinfall of his career. He likely won’t factor into the fall at Survivor Series, but a quick program with Cena could be interesting if Punk faces Foley at TLC. Ryback over Cena in a tables match, anyone?
4) Jeff Hardy
5) James Storm

Jeremy Thomas
1) James Storm
Storm became the #1 contender for the TNA World Title at Turning Point and while to some that may not be as prestigious as retaining a title, I consider it a “better week” for Storm than for Hardy because I feel like Hardy’s title retention was a safer bet than Storm winning. Whether he’ll beat Jeff for the belt is an entirely other question that we’ll have to see, but I hope it happens.

2) Ryback: Ryback pinned CM Punk on Raw last week, which further solidifies his push and helped legitimize his spot in the main event scene.
3) Jeff Hardy: I know a lot of people aren’t keen on Jeff holding the top title in TNA, but he’s made a decent run so far and had a nice little match with Austin Aries. Can’t complain too much about that.
4) Samoa Joe/Austin Aries (tie)
5) The Time Splitters (Alex Shelley & KUSHIDA)

Jack McGee
1) Jeff Hardy
Is still the TNA World Champion following a great match with Austin Aries on the Turning Point PPV.

2) James Storm: is now the number one contender for the TNA World Title, following a very good match Aries on the Turning Point PPV.
3) The Time Splitters (Alex Shelley & KUSHIDA): Defeated Forever Hooligans (Alex Kozlov & Rocky Romero) to become the NEW IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions on New Japan’s latest iPPV extravaganza.
4) Ryback
5) Samoa Joe